Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 4 of 9 · from the scan, no model involved
On the boulevard below us. cavalrymen in double file were riding by, no doubt for morning exercise. They came on, in groups up to twenty at a time, with breaks in between, for fifteen or twenty minutes at least. We could see that the riders in each group differed from other groups in their uniforms, headdress in particular. We guessed that they were detachments from the various cavalry regiments of the army, seconded to Delhi for service in the presidential guard or something of that kind. I recalled that, from way back in the history of the old Raj. the Indian cavalry had a worldwide reputation for spit and polish—along with more solid qualities.
A little later, civilian Delhi appeared on its way to work—on foot, in buses, cars and taxis, on bicycles and motorbikes. Women in voluminous saris rode pillion with apparent ease. Horsedrawn and bullock-drawn carts of all descriptions groaned or rattled by. Grayheaded crows and less identifiable birds swooped down to our window for the crumbs of bread that Virginia had saved from somewhere or other. We tore ourselves away and dressed.
Our first engagement of the day, a formal introduction to India, was timed for the humane hour of 10:30. From the stage of the hotel’s main meeting hall, we were greeted by two cabinet ministers and other high officials. With sensibly brief but warmly worded speeches in impeccable English, they bade us welcome. Our leaders replied in kind. Then we were treated to a “multimedia welcome, A Discovery of India.”
On a wide screen behind the stage, a brilliantly conceived and superbly, photographed film presented a conspectus of india, from its fantastic range of scenery, through its historic monuments to its current indistria! accomplishments. Below the screen, a richly costumed and highly talented dance troupe, brought from Calcutta for our especial benefit by Ananda Shanker, nephew of the famous musician Revi Shankar, performed figures attuned to the themes of the film. Afterwards, we were given a record of the bewitching music, composed by the 'younger Shankar. The performance lasted a bare hour, and we could have borne to see it all over again. But we had to move on to lunch. There we had the honor of meeting Mr. Shankar and his wife, the choreographer, of the dances.
87.3%